Amanda rolled up Lily’s sleeves. She did so carefully, trying not to bump or rub any of the damaged skin.

The arms before her were obviously decayed, rotten, and puss-filled.

She glanced briefly at Bobby and noticed his eyes widen and his nose wrinkle in some disgust, but he wisely kept his thoughts to himself, and he did not run. Instead he looked concerned. As concerned as she felt.

Lily’s face was tear-stricken but she seemed surprisingly in control and cognitive given the state of her skin. It wasn’t often the body turned first but when it did it was an unmistakable guarantee of what was to follow.

“Lily, how long have your arms been like this?” Amanda asked gently.

Lily opened her mouth as if to reply but all she did was take in a trembling breath and give a little sniff.

“It’s important honey.”

Lily sniffed again and then she trembled and between sobs managed to mutter, “I don’t wanna get shot.”

Amanda tried to steel herself against the heart-wrenching that phrase gave her. She found it easier to lean into the confusion. She gave Bobby a questioning look.

He shook his head. He didn’t know what she was talking about anymore than his mother did.

Amanda turned back to Lily. “What are you talking about?”

“L-like the horse.”

“Ah.” Recognition filled Amanda. She understood now. Ignoring how dangerous it might be for herself she pulled the girl into a hug. “No, you won’t be. That was different. That was a horse. You’re a person.”

Another sniff. “Am I?”

“Yes.” Amanda pulled back. She said it decisively and she meant it, although she still wasn’t sure exactly how she was going to achieve it she knew she would do whatever it took to keep the girl alive. And there was at least one spell she hadn’t tried yet. “Come on.” She took the girl’s hand. “I’ve got something we can try.

Lily hesitated.

Even Bobby didn’t look sure about what his mother was going to do. Amanda could read his wide-eyed expression as easily as if he’d spoken his thoughts allowed. He knew what Lily’s injuries meant, and he knew what that meant should happen to her.

Amanda spoke to him. “There’s a spell I can try.”

“A spell?” Lily asked.

The hope in the girl’s voice nearly broke Amanda’s heart. Maybe it was wrong to give it to her. But every moment was something more nothing. She retained her decisive expression, for their sakes. She’d give them comfort while she could.

Bobby seemed to relax, although Amanda could still see the worry reflected in his brown eyes. Lily had stopped crying. Amanda led her back toward the house, intent on sneaking her down to the basement without Sirius catching them. She didn’t need him knowing what spell she was doing.

As they reached the front door and she grasped the familiar handle, for a moment, despite the fact that she still knew she needed to find a rather large amount of blood, it seemed like it was all going to be okay.

Then a scream shattered the silence.

The door to Katrina’s room burst open.

“What the fuck have you done now?” Gemma cried as she saw the state Katrina was in.

Katrina looked like she was being sucked into a vase. Swirly colours of skin mixed with the air in ways they really shouldn’t have. It was like an abstract painting come to life.

“Help!” Katrina gasped.

Before Gemma could react her mother pushed her aside.

After taking a second to assess the room Amanda turned and ran down the stairs, practically flying past a surprised Bobby and Lily.

Gemma stared after her in confusion. Then glanced back at Katrina, who gave her the most desperate look. Her neck and collarbone and chest were vaguely see through. Gemma could see straight through to the window on the other side of her sister. She started to step forward, intent on somehow removing the item that was doing this.

“Don’t!” Bobby cried out.

Gemma turned to him in frustration. She knew he wasn’t wrong. Touching that thing was probably a horrible idea, but she didn’t have any better ones.

“Mum’s coming back,” Bobby said as he glanced over the railing at the top of the stairs.

Gemma stepped aside. Her mum would know what to do.

Amanda pounded back up the stairs holding a bucket, a bag of powder and a knife.

“What’s going on?” Sasha asked as she emerged from her room at the end of the hallway.

“Go back into your room,” Amanda commanded.

But, Sasha ignored her, and like the rest of the family, gathered around to see what was happening.

Sirius appeared in the doorway of Katrina’s room, as Amanda placed a bucket on the floor next to the desk. Into it she tipped some powder. She reached for the vase to place it also into the bucket but drew her hands back fast as she touched it’s surface, as if burnt.

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She paused and frowned as she looked at her own hand and watched as it too started to fade away, just like Katrina was doing. Unlike Katrina however, she wasn’t stuck.

“Shit!” she swore. Then with her non-disappearing hand, she grabbed a nearby book, one that was very heavy and looked ever-so-slightly singed. With that book she knocked the vase into the bucket. She set the bucket down on the floor and with the large knife she slit a long line into the flesh of her forearm. Blood spilled down onto the vase and mixed with the powder. She mumbled some words, the only binding spell she knew. Sirius joined her, adding his own blood to the mix.

“Bobby!” he called, knowing they’d both need a healer.

A moment later Katrina gasped as whatever it was that was holding her let go. She fell backwards and onto the floor. Her body had stopped fading but it hadn’t returned to it’s normal solid state. She looked pale, disorientated, and vaguely see through. She tried weakly to get to her feet but fell down again.

Sirius reached down to help her up. Blood still ran down his arm and started to form a pool on the floor below. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Bobby healed his mother’s wound and then tried to heal her missing fingers, but she shook him off. “Do your father.”

Amanda turned to Gemma who was looking horrified at the scene from the hallway.

Amanda commanded to Gemma, “Go catch a unicorn from the back paddock and take it behind the house. Wait for us there.”

Gemma nodded and left to do as she was told. She had no idea why her mum wanted a unicorn but the urgency in her tone was unmistakable.

Bobby healed his father’s knife injury and then reached for Katrina, or what was left of her. She had passed out in her father’s arms.

Amanda grabbed his shoulder and shook her head. “No. Go down to the basement. There’s an old green biscuit tin on the middle shelf, along the window-side, not quite as far as the sink. Grab it and take it out to the backyard.”

Bobby nodded and took off down the stairs, pausing only a moment when he saw Lily, unsure about leaving her but spurred on by the current situation.

As Sirius lifted Katrina up, Amanda told him, “Take her out to the backyard.”

He frowned but obeyed. Every word she spoke was spoken with the voice of one who knew exactly what she was doing.

She went with him. As they passed Sasha, Amanda said, “Sasha, go to your room and stay there.” To Salem, who stood on the stairs, “Salem, go grab my pistol from the safe. Code is 7356.”

Salem took off down the stairs. Sasha followed along behind them.

Amanda grabbed Lily on the stairs with her good hand and pulled her along with them. “We’re gonna do that spell I talked about.”

A stunned Lily gave little objection. She just stumbled along swiftly and obediently.

Salem met them in the downstairs hallway and handed his mother her gun. She took it with a nod and then indicated the stairs. “Now go back upstairs and wait there.”

Salem frowned but he didn’t object. He simply waited until they’d gone past and then he ignored his mother’s command and followed along beside Sasha.

Gemma was waiting in the back yard holding the lead of a pale green-tinged unicorn with feathery white hooves. She was talking to it and stroking it’s neck. Gemma was good with the ungulates, just like her mother, and Amanda had been right to trust her to calmly fetch a unicorn from the paddock. The beasts sensed fear but Gemma wouldn’t show any, even if she felt it. Even so, Amanda could see that the beast was nervous in the way it shifted it’s feet and twitched it’s tail. It had every right to be, given what she had planned for it but she dare not risk causing it to panic. Alas, nor was there much time to spare.

Amanda paused with Lily in the living room for only a second. Just enough to rid herself of any hesitance or nervousness that the unicorn might pick up on. Then she told Sirius and Lily to wait there until she called them out.

She went into the backyard and started drawing what she could remember in the dirt, the runes which were required for this spell. Her memory was reaching it’s limits when Bobby returned with the green biscuit tin. That triggered her memory enough to complete the markings. In the very centre she drew an enclosed circle. She took the tin from Bobby and then sent him back inside. From the tin she pulled some dried flowers and a knife. In ritualistic fashion she scattered the flowers on the ground while she mumbled some words. Then she beckoned to Sirius and Lily.

Bobby watched beside Salem and Sasha. Amanda would have preferred that they didn’t see this next bit but there wasn’t time to send them away.

Lily hesitated but Sirius put a comforting hand on her shoulder and nudged her forward. He lay the unconscious, faded, Katrina down in the circle where Amanda showed him. With her good hand, Amanda then guided Lily into a spot of her own, seated within the circle.

“Stay very still no matter what happens okay. I promise in a few moments everything is going to be just fine. It might get just a little scary for a second but trust me you are safe.” Amanda looked Lily right in the eyes as she said it.

She glanced up to see Sirius half way back to the house, turned and giving her a worried look. She gave him a smile she knew he would trust, even though inside, somewhere, pushed deep down, uncertainty tried to claim her. It hadn’t a hope in hell, for Amanda had only one thing on her mind right now, saving her family. And in this moment that included Lily too. It had been an easy decision though once she’d seen what had happened to Katrina for the same spell she had been considering using on Lily would almost certainly fix the problem caused by that vase, at least for now, but without a now, there was no future. She’d deal with the future later.

The last thing to do was the worst part, but the spell would not work without it. Amanda walked to the unicorn that her eldest daughter held. It was pulling at it’s lead in a nervous fashion, far from blind panic, it was simply surrounded in uncertainty.

“I know.” Amanda reached out and stroked it’s neck. Despite the ticking clock Amanda did not rush for one could not force a unicorn, nor would it have been right to do so. One could only lure it. This was a delicate matter and the vilest of deceptions but she had no choice. She took the lead from her daughter and sweetly she guided it over to the circle. She led it to where it stood just on the outside of the inner circle, facing anti-clockwise. It came gently, if not a little anxiously, and at the former she was surprised.

The circle was barely big enough to contain the three of them but it meant that Amanda could stand in the centre of it and easily reach any of the sides in no more than a stride.

Amanda looked down at Lily. “No matter what,” she reminded her.

Lily looked frightened but she nodded.

Her face fell as Amanda turned away and stabbed the unicorn in the shoulder.

The scream of the creature was horrendous. It was almost human in a nature, and yet so raw and untamed.

Lily was so shocked she could not have moved even if she’d wanted to.

The unicorn bolted forward with a loud cry.

Amanda didn’t try to pull it back. Instead with careful planning and timed precision she tugged the lead sideways while at the same time flicking out a whip of flame toward it’s rear. It had the intended effect and the beast ran anti-clockwise around the circle.

It had gone only a pace or two when Amanda lunged and once more she stabbed it with the same hand that held the lead. Another scream. Another tug. They repeated the same dance as before.

“Stop,” Lily whimpered. Tears dripped down and flowed over her trembling lips.

But Amanda wasn’t finished. She loosened the lead and for the last time she stabbed it, each strike made at approximately equidistant points around the circle. This time it turned on her. Amanda could read the betrayal in its eyes. She pocketed the knife. She raised the gun as it’s hooves entered the circle, and she fired. As uincorn’s life extinguished, the spell took final form and the beasts body vaporised, bathing them all in a downpour of warm wet blood.